SAINT LAURENCE PAPERS Items from Ampleforth Abbey archives

ABBEY - Monastery itself, Abbey, Community       Return

B28-1 - ENGLISH BENEDICTINE HOUSE IN ROME - LINK
Tradition has it that there is some link between an earlier pilgrim's hostel at Rome (in the Trastevere) and later house which the English Congregation appear to have owned in the early nineteenth century. This as real enough to cost money, and this collection of documents may give some clues. It is all that we have inherited from Fr Bede Prest, Procurator at Ampleforth 1851-66, then Prior 1866-74. At any rate he seems to have handled its affairs.

B28-2 - Fr EDWARD PARKER'S BLUE BOOK - LINK
This was often quoted in any Chapter matters of property or deeds. With the coming of the Land Registry (1925, but not complete till 1998), deeds lost their importance (they remain valued as historical documents). In 1926 all copyhold land became freehold land, though the lords of manors retained mineral and sporting rights. Freehold mean what it says. Copyhold in the Blue Book means land originally held as allowed by the Lord of the Manor: the title to it was a copy of the record written books of the manorial court (hence baron's court). Freehold mean what it says. Our land was formerly held under several such courts.
Edward Parker (1876-1958) after school spent nine years in a law office. "Anyone who has to go into some legal or financial problem in the story of our past invariably finds that Fr Edward has been there before him." [Obituary AJ 63:2 (1958) 103, attrib. HKB]

BX28-7 - THE ABBEY LAND - LINK
Notes by Fr Bede Turner (1869-1947 PP Ampleforth 1896-1902; Procurator 1902-36) He wrote five articles in the Ampleforth Journal published in 1941-43. This manuscript book is an earlier collection of notes made by Fr Bede as he worked. It is valuable in itself since it contains a number of details not easily found. Headings or notes have been added; only they are indexed.
See Turner JB, The Story of thc Abbcy Land. Ampleforth Journal 1941-43:
vol 46 (1941) pp 1 & 89
vol 47 (1942) pp 21 & 170
vol 48 (1943) pp 65

H74 - INTRODUCTION TO THE 1976 BREVIARY - LINK
In the winter of 1972-3 Abbot Basil Hume appointed a group to prepare a form of the Office suited to the whole Community in the post- Conciliar world. They began by agreeing on this statement of principle before any further work. Their names appear at the end.

UX14 (part) - WILLIAM SHARROCK'S ESCAPE: THE BREAKING UP OF THE MONASTERY AT DIEULWART - LINK
William Sharrock was born 1756 & baptised Walter; he died 4 July 1828, he was the only member of St Laurence's to provide unbroken continuity between pre-revolutionary Dieulouard and nineteenth-century Ampleforth. It may be noted (in connection with Dielouard beer) that he says that while he was at Luxemburg he worked as a brewer. Written at Ampleforth 1803.
There were four Sharrocks; it seems they were brothers: Bishop Gregory (William, 1742-1809)
Prior Jerome (Charles/James 1750-1808)
Dunstan (John, 1754-1831)
William (Walter 1756-1828)